The "Father of Identity Theft" was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison Thursday after his conviction for identity theft last October.
At that time, a federal jury found James Jackson, 58, guilty of 13 counts of mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, and theft of mail, according to U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant.
A week-long jury trial outlined Jackson’s efforts in 2014 and 2015 to steal the identities of victims — most of them dead — and steal money from banks, financial companies, and individuals.
Jackson would scour online obituaries and news articles to find people who had recently passed away. He’d then use that information to impersonate the victim and convince banks and other companies to send him new debit and credit cards, according to Dunavant.